1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally in the field of electronic devices and systems. More particularly, the present invention is in the field of delivery of power to electronic devices and systems.
2. Background Art
The use of electronic devices continues to expand into all aspects of daily life, from the ubiquitous personal computer to the ever more sophisticated media entertainment centers found in almost every home. Many such devices are kept in a mode of constant readiness for use, and the cumulative effect of this mode and the ever-increasing number of devices can be a heavy burden on existing energy resources.
Conventional power supplies for electronic devices are typically unconfigurable and feature-poor, perhaps mainly to reduce manufacturing cost, but perhaps also because general safety and liability concerns steer manufacturers towards designing their power supplies to be physically differentiated from product to product so as to limit the risk of damage due to incompatible voltage and current specifications. Because each power supply is typically designed to serve only a very limited market for a limited amount of time (e.g., the life of a single product), little effort may be put into designing high efficiency into each iteration of the generic power supply. Further, in the case of portable electronic devices, the lack of interchangeability frequently leads to consumers having multiple collections of power supplies at, for example, home and work, and each collection is often left plugged into the mains, which constantly draws power from the grid.
Thus, there is a need to overcome the drawbacks and deficiencies in the art by providing a power management system that can be readily adapted to power various electronic devices efficiently, accurately and conveniently.